This invention relates generally to boats and other water craft or vessels and particularly to systems operative to manage and control as well as monitor the operation of bilge pump systems therefore.
As is well known, most boats regardless of the material or construction and fabrication thereof have a tendency to take on a certain amount of water when floating in a body of water. The causes for the accumulation of water vary substantially with different types, materials and fabrications of boats. However, generally speaking, such causes of water intrusion into the hulls of boats include seepage through the hull material or joints formed between elements of the hull, leakage or small flaws in the hull integrity, failures of engine cooling systems and failure of seals utilized with various xe2x80x9cthrough-the-hullxe2x80x9d fittings or couplings as well as rain which runs into the bilge.
For the most part, water entering a boat hull tends to accumulate in the lower portion of the hull usually referred to as the xe2x80x9cbilgexe2x80x9d. In smaller boats, the hull interior usually forms a single bilge compartment extending generally the length of the hull. However, in larger boats such as large yachts and pleasure craft, the hull is typically divided into a plurality of sections or compartments. These multiple compartments divide the bilge portion of the hull interior into a corresponding plurality of bilge compartments usually identified by their location within the ship such as xe2x80x9cbow bilgexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cstern bilgexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cengine room bilgexe2x80x9d and so on. In most larger boats, these bilge compartments are separated by water tight bulkheads and doors to protect the overall buoyancy of the vessel in the event of a significant leak or damage to the hull.
While small amounts of water within the bilge compartments of a boat is a tolerable and generally common condition, extensive water collection within one or more bilge compartments of a boat hull is extremely undesirable and may if left unattended prove dangerous or even catastrophic. To accommodate and compensate for this general tendency of boats to take on water and the risk of excess water entering the bilge due to causes such as seal failure or engine cooling system failure, practitioners in the art typically provide one or more bilge pumps operative to pump excess water from the bilge interior.
The basic principle of a bilge pump system is relatively simple and direct. For the most part, bilge pump systems utilize submersible battery-powered pumps positioned within each of the bilge compartments. Water level sensors such as float switches or the like are operatively coupled to each pump and function to initiate pump operation in response to water levels within the bilge compartment beyond a predetermined level. As the pump operates, water within the bilge is pumped and discharged outwardly through coupling lines to a discharge port outside the boat hull.
Notwithstanding, the simplicity and directness of action exercised by basic bilge pump systems, the implementation of an effective and practical bilge pump system is subject to several levels of complexity and several limitations. Much of this complexity and limitation arises as a result of the environment and circumstance of boat usage. For the most part, the majority of boats rest idle in their berths or moorings for extended periods of time between relatively brief intervals of use. Typically, this idle time is largely unattended as the boat operator or owner is away from the boat. This circumstance leaves the boat virtually dependent upon the reliability and proper operation of the bilge pump system within the boat. In the event of a significant failure within the bilge pump system, an unattended boat is subject to a substantial potential for damage or even sinking. In the event of a substantial failure of one or more of the pumps operative within a bilge pump system, even a relatively slow leak may cause substantial damage to a boat.
Faced with the need for protecting boats from damage or loss caused by bilge pump failures or inability to respond to excess water collecting within the boat hull, practitioners in the art have provided various alarm and monitoring equipment for use in combination with bilge pump systems. While such systems vary, the overall objective thereof is to provide a type of warning or alarm for indicating a failure of the bilge pump system and/or the accumulation of a potentially damaging amount of water within the bilge of the boat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,247 issued to Marnel et al. sets forth a METHOD AND EQUIPTMENT FOR ALERTING OF DANGEROUS WATER LEVELS which function to alert a boat owner, whether on board or at a remote location, to the fact that the water level within the craft has risen above a predetermined level and at a rate which is causing the water level to increase. The system utilizes a continuity board and a power source which when activated completes a circuit to energize onboard alerting devices such as strobe lights as well as a preprogrammed cellular telephone auto dialer and answering machine. The cellular telephone auto dialer and answering machine dials a given sequence of telephone numbers in response to the detection of an alarm condition. Thus, as water level increases, the audible alarm and strobe lights are energized to provide an indication of a problem. In addition, the cellular telephone auto dialer further operates to contact the boat owner at a predetermined remote telephone.
British patent 2,139,793 issued to Ross et al. sets forth an AUTOMATIC BILGE PUMP MONITOR which includes means for energizing and de-energizing a bilge pump in response to sensed water level. The automatic bilge pump monitor further includes an alarm means arranged to provide a warning in the event the bilge pump has been continuously operating in excess of a predetermined time interval. The bilge pump monitor includes a triggerable monostable timer circuit to provide the time interval monitor function for the system.
While prior art systems such as the above-described bilge pump monitors improve the degree of protection afforded unattended boats against bilge pump failure, they have been found deficient in their inability to provide important information to the person or persons responding to an alarm condition. In order to properly evaluate a bilge pump alarm or failure indication or other indication of excessive water level within the bilge, additional information is needed for a proper response. In addition, there arises a need in the art for a bilge pump monitor and alert system for boats or other vessels which provides diagnostic or analytical data to the boat owner which may be used to avoid the more dramatic alarm producing system failures or conditions.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved bilge pump monitor and alert system for boats and other vessels. It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved bilge pump monitor and alert system for boats and other vessels which provides the boat owner with diagnostic and analytical data relating to the operating circumstances and conditions of the host system. It is a still more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved bilge pump monitor and alert system for boats and other vessels which maintains a system memory within which a history of system operation and performance is stored together with means for retrieving the stored information and data in a simple and effective manner leading to effective analysis and diagnosis of system operation.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a bilge pump monitor and alert system for use in a vessel having a plurality of bilge compartments, the system comprising: a plurality of bilge pumps constructed for operation within vessel bilge compartments, the bilge pumps each having means for producing a pump active signal when operating; a plurality of high water switches constructed for operation within vessel bilge compartments, the high water switches each having means for producing a high water level signal when actuated; a control unit coupled to the plurality of bilge pumps and the high water switches receiving pump active signals and the high water level signals; a display unit coupled to the control unit and including a control panel having a plurality of bilge pump buttons, a numeric display, a pump set button and a time set button, the display unit having means for illuminating buttons when pressed; and at least one alarm device, the control unit having means for accumulating and storing the number of times each of the bilge pumps are activated as pump count numbers and for storing the activation time of each of the pumps as pump time numbers and means for establishing a maximum pump count number for each of the bilge pumps and means for establishing a maximum pump activation time number for each of the bilge pumps and having means for activating at least one alarm device when one of the pump count numbers exceeds the maximum pump count number or one of the pump time numbers exceeds the maximum pump time number.